Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium 20th Anniversary

Very few Grand Lodges would bother to consider the 20th anniversary of their constitution an event worth more than a brief mention. But the ceremonies organised by the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium on 27 March 1999 had a very special significance.
    The celebrations were held in a hotel next to the Grand Lodge building, beginning with the reception of a delegation from 25 Grand Lodges from across the world. The African Grand Lodges numbered no less than eight and the Grand Masters of Ireland, France, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Spain, among others, were joined by delegates from the USA. The United Grand Lodge of England was represented by the Grand Secretary, VW Bro James Daniel.
    The new Grand Master, RW Bro Prof Dr Paul Cosyns, was installed, and the new Grand Officer for the next three years was invested. There then followed an authentic portrayal in costume of sketches depicting the actions of the Marquis de Gages, the Provincial Grand Master of the Austrian Netherlands under the Grand Lodge of England (Modern), at the end of the 18th century. This was much appreciated by all present. Brethren and their ladies then enjoyed a buffet followed by a remarkable exhibition of masonic objects (including a copy of the 1723 English Constitutions). The Grand Lodge Masonic Artist exhibited paintings and sculptures, many of which were purchased by visitors, thus contributing handsomely to the Grand Lodge charities.
    The festivities terminated very late after an excellent banquet prepared under the supervision of a Freemason who was for many years owner of one of the few restaurants awarded three merit stars by the Michelin Guide. The event ended in the early hours with dancing among the younger and not so young members of the Craft.
    The members of the Grande Loge Régulière de Belgique are proud of this commemoration; it proves the vitality, will and the stability of Regular Freemasonry in Belgium and we all look forward to the next Grand Anniversary.
    Historical Background: The history of Freemasonry in Belgium began after the country gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1830. The Belgian lodges reorganised in 1832 under the title of the Grand East of Belgium, growing slowly in an epoch when international masonic relations were rare. Its situation was curious. The constitution declared that it was “Under the protection of HM King Leopold I”, the king being a known mason but never acting officially or unofficially on behalf of the Craft. It is recorded that he was initiated and passed in the field by special permission of the lodge “Zur Hoffnung” under the Great Lodge of Switzerland. Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha kept very close ties with England (he had been married to George IV’s daughter, Charlotte, while his sister Princess Luisa of Prussia was married to the Duke of Kent and thus became mother to Queen Victoria) and his influence was not negligible in English policies. Prince Albert (1819-1861) was his nephew.
    Meanwhile the Grand East of Belgium had, under its Grand Master (1854) Pierre-Theodore Verhaegen, embarked on a political direction. Verhaegen, who founded the Free University of Brussels within the Lodge Les Amis Philanthropes in 1834, was a liberal politician engaged in a bitter battle with the Catholic Party - the bishops wanting to keep education under their exclusive control. Most other continental Grand Lodges did not react to this politicising of the Craft, nor did they react when mention of the king was omitted on the occasion of a revision of its constitution in 1870 (he had died five years earlier), along with any reference to the Deity. It was only in 1909 when the editorship of the Year Book of the United Grand Lodge of England was transferred from its then publisher Mr Kenning to the Colonial Comity that this anomaly was discovered and the Grand East of Belgium disappeared from the list of recognised Grand Lodges.
    After World War One, a number of Belgian brethren realised their isolation in the masonic world. They offered a report to the assembly of 1926, indicating how they might recover recognition - but circumstances were not favourable, and it was only in 1959, when four lodges seceded to form the Grand Lodge of Belgium, that recognition became a realistic prospect. The Grand Lodge of Belgium received recognition from the United Grand Lodge of England in 1974. However, the temptations of inter-visitation with the irregular Grand East, as well as with Co-Masonry, and a lack of rigour in affirming belief in a Supreme Being, led to the events of June 1979 and the birth of the Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium.
    The Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium, having added the Aims and Relationship of the Craft (adopted by the UGLE in September 1949) to its constitutional texts, maintains regularity in its lodges and with other masonic bodies. The achievement of 20 years of hard work, raising the number of lodges from nine to thirty-seven, with more than 1,500 members, is worth reflecting on. Belgium is a country where, for a century and a half, the Craft has been equated with politics and anti-clericalism sometimes bordering on the anti-religious. The image is so clearly imprinted on public opinion that it often takes a great deal of courage to join a lodge. Members have forfeited employment and entered bitter family feuds. Political and religious controversy are absent from our lodges.
    Michel L.Brodsky.

Architecture and Freemasonry to feature in Architecture Week 1999

As part of Architecture Week 1999, a national event organised by the Arts Council of England and the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Library and Museum of Freemasonry at Freemasons’ Hall will be hosting an illustrated talk focusing on the founding of the architectural profession in 19th century England and the influence of masonic scholarship. The speaker will be Snezana Lawrence, Director of the Canonbury Masonic Research Centre.
    Dr Lawrence’s talk will consider in particular the roles of Bannister Fletcher, the renowned historian of architecture, and Thomas Hayter-Lewis, a professor of architecture and member of Quatuor Coronati Lodge of Research.
    The talk will be open to the public and will take place at 1pm on 8 November 1999 at Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London. There is no charge for the talk but spaces are limited and those interested in attending should call 0171 395 9251 to book a place. (Architecture Week Hotline: 0171 973 6436).
    Diane Clements, The Library and Museum of Freemasonry.

Blackpool Masonic Hall opens doors

On Saturday 22 May 1999, Blackpool’s Masonic Hall on Adelaide Street (whose foundation stone was laid by Lord Skelmersdale on May 7 1898) opened its doors to the public for a centenary event which captured the attention of local newspapers, doing much to dispel popular myths surrounding the Craft.
    The open day, opened by West Lancashire’s Provincial Grand Master, was the idea of newly widowed Rectitude Lodge No 4122 member Bill Eardley, who told The Gazette that Masonry had helped him through one of the toughest years of his life: “It’s been my life. I’m among friends.” As for the open day, “Some of the older members weren’t happy about it. The hall has been Blackpool’s best kept secret for 100 years! It’s not all solicitors and businessmen - we have dustbinmen and tradesmen too. Belief in a Supreme Being is all-important. We have Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and others.” Bro Eardley also asserted the true value of masonic ritual: “What we do probably comes across as silly to outsiders who don’t know the seriousness of the ritual - or the almost Shakespearian beauty of the language used. We use drama, allegory and symbolism to bind members together and impress principles on to each candidate. It’s about discipline, respect, integrity, charity - a lot of it for non-masonic causes. Each candidate states unequivocally he expects no material gain from membership - that would be intolerable misuse.”
    Bro Eardley told FMT: “The Mayor and Mayoress of Blackpool were also in attendance and although it clashed with the cup final, the event proved to be very successful, especially the tour of the lodge room and the talk given by a Past Assistant Provincial Grand Master.” FMT wishes Blackpool’s tried and trusted hall another glorious century of inspiring Freemasonry, a gift to the next millennium.

District Grand Chapter of Bombay and Northern India celebrates Centenary

March 13 1999 was a very memorable day for the District Grand Chapter of Bombay and Northern India, with its centenary being belatedly celebrated.
    The District Grand Chapter was originally constituted in 1863, with E Comp James Gibbs as Grand Superintendent, although E Comp George Taylor ruled as Grand Superintendent from 1861-1863. In those days, Royal Arch Masonry was not able to attract many members, and in the next 30 years only seven Chapters were consecrated. Most did not survive very long and the District went into a kind of abeyance. In 1890, the then Grand Superintendent, E Comp HRH the Duke of Connaught, returned to England and in 1896 he appointed E Comp Henry Parsons to serve as Pro Grand Superintendent. The installation of E Comp Parsons was also considered to be the re-constitution of the District Grand Chapter with four Chapters working. In 1901, ME Comp the Duke of Connaught resigned his office of Grand Superintendent as he had been elected and installed as ME the First Grand Principal, an office he occupied until 1939.
    Many years later, the District once more had the honour of seeing a former Grand Superintendent being installed as ME the First Grand Principal. In 1941, E Comp Sir Roger Lumley was installed as Grand Superintendent, holding office for two years until he returned to England in 1944. In 1951, Sir Roger Lumley, now the Earl of Scarborough, was installed as ME the First Grand Principal, holding office until 1967. Fifteen other eminent masons have graced the Chair of Grand Superintendent, among them being Lord Northcote, Sir Leslie Wilson (later Grand Master, Queensland), Sir Lawrence Jenkins, and Sir Reginald Spence, with the present Grand Superintendent, E Comp Arthur EG Gilbert, having held office since 1984.
    In 1989, the Supreme Grand Chapter re-aligned the boundary of the District of Bombay to include the District of Northern India, and the new District Grand Chapter of Bombay and Northern India was formed.
    The centenary celebration was a grand affair. Members representing all the 18 Chapters were present in large numbers, with deputations being sent by the District Grand Chapter of Madras, the United Scottish Royal Arch Freemasonry in India and Ceylon and the Provincial Grand Chapter of Ireland in India, headed by their respective Grand Superintendents.
    The proceedings began with a thanksgiving prayer delivered by E Comp Angelo Pereira, District Grand Joshua. Companions then repeated an oath of re-dedication, both prayer and oath being specially written for the occasion. The new banner of the District was presented to the Grand Superintendent, E Comp AEG Gilbert, and unveiled and dedicated by him in an impressive ceremony. The oration and explanation of the banner was delivered by E Comp Shums Merchant, District Grand Principal Sojourner. The new motto of the District, ‘Docendo Discimus’, meaning ‘We learn as we teach’, struck a chord among the many senior Royal Arch Masons present. The exhaustive centenary history, compiled and written by E Comp Shums Merchant, was released by the Grand Superintendent.
    Amid great acclaim, the Grand Superintendent announced the formation of the District Grand Chapter EC Centenary Charity Fund, with an initial fund of 1m rupees. The fund had been raised by the generous donations of many Companions, and also by the printing of advertisements in a souvenir. The interest from this fund will be utilised to help masonic and non-masonic charitable causes.
    A banquet, at which ladies were also present, rounded off what had been a very successful evening.
    PS Mankikar, District Grand Scribe E, District Grand Chapter of Bombay and Northern India.

Consecration of Grand Lodge of Estonia

On 22 September 1998, the then Deputy District Grand Master (Estonia Division) of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Finland, RW Bro Arno Köörna, together with Masters and representatives of the four lodges of that Division met in the Mustpeade Maja Fraternity Hall in Tallinn. They decided to establish the Grand Lodge of Estonia and petitioned the Grand Lodge of Finland to be its mother lodge and to carry out the consecration and installation ceremony.
    On Tuesday 18 May 1999 at 12.45pm in the White Hall of the magnificent Gothic Blackheads building (from the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, formed in 1399 for the unmarried members of the Great Guild and named after their patron, the Negro Saint Mauritius) - originally built in 1531 and renovated in 1597 - in Pikk Street, Tallinn, the consecration ceremony of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Estonia was conducted by the MW Bro Ilkka Runokangas, Grand Master of Finland (who had been appointed on 16 May 1999) and his entourage in true Masonic form.
    This unique and moving ceremony was observed by 180 Freemasons from around the world, among whom, apart from many Grand Lodge representatives and brethren from other Finnish lodges were Stewart C McCloud, Carl J Smith and Gary A Henningsen, Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master and Grand Secretary respectively of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York; Kent Gould, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Colorado; Alfred F Koska, Grand Master of the United Grand Lodges of Germany; J.Waldie Mannion, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia, Canada; Robert Zahn, Grand Representative of Denmark; Darwin H Templeton and Michael T Walker, Grand Master and Grand Secretary respectively of the Grand Lodge of Ireland; and RW Bros Aviad Ya’ari and Israel Dranov of the Grand Lodge of Israel.
    The ensuing banquet, enhanced by musical entertainment, included the Grand Master of Estonia, the MW Bro Arno Köörna’s speech, which received a standing ovation. The Estonian Grand Master extended permanent invitations to all of the Estonian lodges to those brethren who had cause to visit his country, full details of which may be obtained from the Grand Secretary, RW Bro Jacques Ratasepp, Tel: 372 6616083.
    It is understood that official recognition of the Grand Lodge of Estonia will shortly be given by the various countries represented at the consecration.
    Historical Background: The first lodge of Freemasons in the territory of what is now the Republic of Estonia was founded well over 200 years ago when Czarist Russia ruled the region. Isis Lodge was constituted in Tallinn on October 12, 1773. Its mother lodge was Harpocrat Lodge of St Petersburg.
    Prior to the banning of Freemasonry in Russia in 1822, three additional lodges operated in Estonia: Zur Bruderliebe (Brotherly Love) 1777-1778; Zu den drei Steithääbern (Three War Hammers) 1778-1820; and Die Hoffnung der Unschuld (The Hope of Innocence) 1787-1789.
    Restoration of the independence of the Republic of Estonia in 1991 once again opened up the opportunity to develop Freemasonry. The Grand Lodge of Finland began to initiate Estonians in their lodges in 1991 and after that, progress was rapid. Four lodges were constituted and consecrated in Estonia under Finnish jurisdiction: two in Tallinn (1993;1994), one in Tartu (1998), and one in Pärnu (1996). The Grand Lodge of Finland established the District of Estonia with its own district deputy masonic officers - all in anticipation of the creation of an independent Grand Lodge of Estonia.
    There are now more than 100 brethren who belong to the four Estonian lodges. In addition to the masons who have received their degrees locally, the membership includes brothers who became Freemasons in countries such as Peru and the USA and who have come to live and work in Estonia.
    Michael G Franklin, IPM, Union Lodge No 134, Helsinki.

Freemasonry a “Bright Light” for the future

The annual meeting of the Warwickshire Freemasons was held on July 8 1999 at Aston University, presided over by the Provincial Grand Master, Stanley Lates. As the most senior Freemason in the Province, and the head of some 6,500 members, he expressed his deep concern at the recent and most serious attacks on Freemasonry in the whole of its history. He urged all brethren to stand firm and fight back at the hurtful and unjustified slurs on the honesty and integrity of all Freemasons in the continuing spirit of openness.
    In asking members for ever greater efforts to introduce men of high morals and ideals into the Order, Stanley Lates said: “The teaching of Masonry beams a bright light through the more murky dealings of the popular world. The more people who are initiated then the more there are who will realise that the present paranoia about Freemasonry is totally unfounded. The deep injustice being handed out to our existing members will become apparent to them by the teachings of Freemasonry.”
    “We are all proud to be Freemasons, proud of what we stand for, and we shall fight the detractors of our Order with their myths, fictions and ill-informed criticisms. I am delighted that we are still going strong after 271 years in Warwickshire, despite the slings and arrows, and I am confident that we will continue throughout the centuries that lie ahead.”
    Stanley Lates is the 14th Provincial Grand Master, the first being James Prescot in 1728, an attorney of Warwick. Stanley Lates celebrated 50 years as a Freemason in December 1997, and has been the head of the Warwickshire Freemasons for seven years.
    For more information, contact Rodney Pitham, Provincial Information Officer on 0121 454 4422.

Web News

The first international web directory dedicated to Freemasonry was launched this summer. It is called GoMasonry and can be found at http://www.gomasonry.com. Masonic web sites can be registered under various categories in a similar way to Yahoo. Once registered, a graphic link to GoMasonry can be added to your site, encouraging visitors to vote for it, thereby fostering healthy competition between masonic webmasters. Since this site will expand as a masonic resource it is worth visiting regularly.
    The number of English Craft Provinces with web sites continues to rise. The latest Provinces to go online are:
    * Cambridgeshire http://www.pglcambs.freeserve.co.uk/
    * Essex http://www.essex-lodges.org/
    * Hampshire and Isle of Wight http://www.grand-lodge.org/hants-iow/
    * Middlesex http://www.pglmiddlesex.free-online.co.uk/
    * Monmouthshire http://www.grossi.co.uk/monmasons/home.htm
    * South Wales (Eastern Division) http://www.freemasons.freeuk.com/
    The Queen Street Masonic Heritage Centre in Sunderland (Durham) is now online at http://queenstreetsunderland.freeservers.com/. The centre incorporates the Phoenix Hall, built in 1785, the oldest purpose-built masonic hall in the world. You can support their appeal to preserve the hall by becoming a Friend of Phoenix Hall.
    The United Grand Lodge of England is currently developing a web policy document for Craft Lodges and Chapters under its authority. If you are interested in developing a lodge web site, you should contact Grand Lodge for a copy of this document, which should be available this winter (tel: 0171 831 9811 and ask for Chris Connop or Martin Byas).

First Academic Conference on Craft in England

Canonbury Masonic Research Centre has organised the first conference on Freemasonry to be held in England on an academic footing. The event will set out the parameters around which co-operation between masonic and academic scholars on the subject will grow, as well as raising the profile of masonic studies.
    The programme will include presentations from leading academics both from Britain and overseas. Talks include Death, Freemasonry, the Enlightenment and the Origins of the Garden Cemetery Movement by Prof James Stevens Curl; The Rift between Ancients and Moderns in English Freemasonry by Prof Cecile Revauger; Christianity and Freemasonry, Numerology and Sacred Geometry by Prof Ivor Grattan-Guinness; and The Relationship between English Freemasonry and Religion by Fiona Pollard.
    As well as non-masonic academics, leading masonic scholars will also give presentations, including Leon Zeldis from the Grand Lodge of Israel and Pierre Mollier from the Grand Orient of France.
    The conference will take place at Canonbury Masonic Research Centre on 6 November from 10am to 7pm, and 7 November from 10am to 4.30pm. Tickets cost £65, which includes refreshments on both days.
    Further details may be obtained from the Director, Snezana Lawrence at CMRC, Canonbury Tower, Canonbury Place, London N1 2NQ. Tel: 0171 226 6256. Fax: 0171 359 6194, e-mail snezanal@canonbury.ac.uk

lifelites gathers pace

The MTGB millennium project, lifelites, launched on 23 June, is beginning to gather pace. Aiming to bring the benefits of information technology to children receiving hospice care, the project began at Demelza House in the Province of East Kent.
    In order to test the equipment’s effectiveness, Claire House (Cheshire), Little Bridge House (Devon) and Naomi House (Hanmpshire and Isle of Wight) joined Demelza House as the basis for a pilot study, the results of which were presented at the launch in Freemasons’ Hall’s Grand Temple.
    The next phase will include Acorns Hospices at Selly Oak (Warwickshire) and Walsall (Staffordshire), Ty Hafan (South Wales), Helen House (Oxon) and Martin House (Yorkshire, West Riding). It is anticipated that all existing children’s hospices in England and Wales will have joined the lifelites network by summer 2000.
    Local masons are encouraged to help future development. A Province’s Grand Master will be invited to nominate a number of brethren with computer experience to participate in training courses, offering technical advice to children and staff at the hospice.
    Brethren can also help the project by purchasing an item of lifelites merchandise, all profits from which will directly benefit children. Details can be obtained from the MTGB at 31 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AG. The lifelites website is at www.lifelites.org
    W Bro Leslie Hutchinson, Planning and Development Co-ordinator, MTGB

Police Chief reassures Lancashire Masons

August 20 1999 saw a flurry of reports in the broadsheets declaring that the Chief Constable of Merseyside, Norman Bettison, had (in the words of page one of The Independent): “defied the Home Secretary’s call to set up a register of Freemasons in the force, saying he sees nothing wrong with membership of the secretive organisation”. In fact, the Chief Constable had sent a letter to West Lancashire’s Provincial Grand Master, saying that he had set up a voluntary register of his force’s interests to reassure those members of the public who might imagine a potential clash of loyalties. Far from defying the Home Secretary, the register went further than Jack Straw’s recommendations in that, on a basis of fairness, it could include other organisations whose activities contained elements of secrecy in such matters as ceremony. The Chief Constable emphasised that though he was not himself a mason, he had never witnessed anything at all which would make him doubt the honesty and integrity of masons, adding that, “I do not view membership of Freemasonry in a negative light and membership would never count for or against an officer or support staff member in any selection, promotion or discipline decision.” In an interview with Radio Leeds, he insisted that masons were open about their membership, saying that members of the public “shouldn’t be allowed to think that there is greater allegiance to that society [where a pledge has been given as a member] than there is to serving the public of Merseyside through Merseyside Police.”
    What seems to have concerned some journalists is the simple fact that the Chief Constable of Merseyside does not view Freemasonry as a threat to society. The subtext here is that some journalists believe that the Home Secretary thinks suspicion of the Craft is in some way justified - hardly surprising, given the innuendo contained in the Home Affairs Select Committee’s May report, Freemasonry in Public Life. As Grand Lodge’s response shows, the work of the committee is fuelling a false perception of Freemasonry.

Masonic Museum Curators Brainstorm in Bayreuth

Anyone who has had occasion to use a masonic museum or library knows the vital role that these institutions play, both for research and for disseminating information about the Craft to Freemasons and the public alike. This year’s annual conference of the Executive Association of Masonic Museums in Europe took place in Bayreuth, Bavaria from 1-4 July 1999. It was attended by over 40 curators, librarians and scholars from many countries and from a variety of institutions and masonic affiliations. In addition to members of several different French obediences, including the Grande Loge Féminine de France, there were participants from Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland and Britain.
    Subjects discussed included ways of making masonic museums more attractive to the general public, the problems of creating an inventory of exhibits, and the creation of closer networking and collaboration between masonic museums, archives and libraries in different countries. There was also a presentation on the Canonbury Masonic Research centre in London and the proposal to establish a Master’s programme there in the study of Freemasonry and related traditions.
    This was the eleventh meeting of the association and the second one to be held in the picturesque town of Bayreuth, home of the German Museum of Freemasonry, which the participants visited on the final day of the conference. They were also taken to the Richard Wagner Museum, the Opera House and other local landmarks. Further information on the association and its work can be found on the internet: http://www.freimaurer.org/arge
    Christopher McIntosh